Portable clothes-washing machine



Nov. 11, 1947. J. HUTCHINSON 2,430,769

PORTABLE CLOTHES WASHING MACHINE Filed April 14, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 I N VEN TOR.

ifnesses I 756 J-[u Zch inson W BY J. HUTCHINSON PORTABLE CLOTHES WASHING MACHINE Nov. 11, 1947.

Filed April 14,1944

5 Sheets-Sheet 3 1 v v t VII/I INVENTOR. Jab Hufchz'nsorz/ BY M, PW

flfiorflgfg Patented Nov. 11, 19.47

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PORTABLE CLOTHESJVASHING MACHINE Job Hutchinson, Great Neck, N. Y.

Application April 14, 1944, Serial No. 530,919

4 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to washing machines, clothes wringers and dish washing machines for the home.

Its principal object is to provide a small, inexpensive washing machine to fit into the tub of the kitchen sink or in the laundry tub, to perform its function as washing machine there, and to be stored there when not in use.

Another object is the provision of a small, inexpensive combination clothes washing, clothes .wringing and dish washing machine.

tachment to said washing machine, shown connected therewith;

Fig. 5 is a side view, partly in 'section, of the entire machine including the dishwashing attachment thereto; and

Fig. 6 is a front view of the machine shown in Figure 5.

Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3, the waterproof casing ill of the machine is a horizontally corrugated cyiindrically shaped container. The cor-' rugations serve a threefold purpose: to provide a strong yet light casing, and to provide greater surface area for cooling contact with the surrounding water, and to provide a washboard surface. Four cup-shaped recesses i2 are formed in the outer surface of the bottom i3 of said casing I0. Fixed in said recesses are suction cups l4. These suction cups are the only points of contact between the washing machine and the tub Hi. The machine is maintained in upright position by means of these suction cups which cling, after the manner of suction cups, to the tub bottom.

The heart of the washing machine is electric motor i6 which is preferably of the vertical type. Electric wires i1 lead from said motor to box l8, and electric wire is from said box to an outside electric-socket (not shown). Motor i6 is encased in casing 20 having an outwardly flaring upper peripheral flange 2i by which it is afllxed to horizontal, upwardly flanged partition 22 of easing I'O. Screws or bolts 23 connect said flange 2| to said partition 22.

Coupled by means of coupling 24 to motor shaft 25 is a vertical shaft 23. Spaced from the vertical shaft 28 are two vertical shafts 21 and 23 which are journaled into recesses 23 in flanged partition 22 and into shaft holes 30 in upper partition 3|. The upper partition II is afflxed to flanged partition 22 by means of screws or bolts 32. Upper partition 3i serves the additional purpose of a cover to the casing Ill. The space between the two partitions houses the reduction gears of the washing machine, hereinafter described.

' Ailixed to shaft 23 is a pinion 33 which meshes with idler spur gears 34 and 35 on shafts 21 and 28. Pinions 3B and 31 integral with or connected to idler spur gears 34 and 35 mesh with idler spur gear 38-on shaft 26. A pinion 33 integral with or connected to idler spur gear 38 meshes with spur gears 40 and 4| which are connected, respectively, to shafts 21 and 23 by means of set screws 42 and 43. The gears and pinions on shafts 26, 21 and 23 comprise, in combination, a set of reduction gears through which the motor drives shafts 21 and 28 at reduced speed.

Shafts 21 and 23 project through and beyond upper partition 3i. Disks 44 and 45 are affixed to the protruding portions of shafts 21 and 23, respectively, by means of collars 46 and 41 and set screws 48 and 49. Eccentrically located pins 50 and 5i are aillxed to disks 44 and 45. Removably and rotatably fastened to boss 52 which is integral with the center portion of upper partition 3i, by means of screw knob 53 and on stud bolt 54 is the oscillating agitator 55. Agitator 55 comprises a disk-like member 56 which completely covers the top of the casing l0. Two lugs 51 and 58 project outwardly from disk member 56, diametrically opposite each other. Along the diametric line leading from one to the other lug, are two slots 59 and 60 whose width is such that they can and do slidingly accommodate pins 50 and 5|, their length being substantially equal to the diameter of disks 44 and 45, the center portions of said slots being in axial alignment, respectively, with shafts 21 and 28. Downwardly projecting agitator arms or paddles iii and 62 are either integral with, or affixed to, lugs 51 and 58. These arms are almost as long as the entire washing machine is high. Holes 63 in the lower portions of paddles 6i and 62 are intendedto reduce water resistance to movement of said paddles when the machine is in operation.

In Figure 3 the cooling facilities incorporated into the washing machine are clearly shown. Mounted on motor shaft 25 adjacent the motor is a cooling fan 84 which draws air from the atmosphere into and through motor casing 28 through apertures 88 and 88 in upper partition 8I, aperture 81 in flanged partition 22, aperture 88 in flange 2|, and apertures 28in the bottom of motor casing 20. The air thus drawn into motor casing 28 is forced out therefrom by means of fan 84 through apertures 18 in the top of said casing, thence through aperture II in flanged partition 22,,and apertures I2 and I8 in upper partition 8I.

In Figure 4 the wringer attachment 88 is shown, operatively fastened to the washing machine hereinabove described. The wringer comprises a base plate 8i, two gear boxes 82 and 88 and rollers 84 and 88, together with a driving mechanism connecting the wringer gears with the eccentrically disposed pin 8|. The base plate II has a downwardly projecting flange 88 adapted to fit onto the top edge of casing I 8. Ears 81 which extend downwardly from flange 88 carry clamping screws 88 by which base plate 8i is clamped to casing I0.

A shaft hole 89 is formed in a thickened portion 90 of base plate 8| to receive a short shaft 9I in axial alignment with shaft 28, said shaft 9I projecting both above and below thickened portion 90. Afllxed to its lower projecting end is a disk 92 which is similar in all substantial respects to disk 45 except that, in place of pin 8| on disk 48, disk 92 has an aperture 93 corresponding to pin 8| in location, but being somewhat larger than pin 5| in diameter. Disk 92 is so disposed, relative to disk 48, that pin 8I protrudes into aperture 93. Afllxed to the upper projecting end of short shaft Si is a spur gear 94 which meshes with a larger spur gear 98, the latter gear being affixed to shaft 98 which isjournaled into thickened portion 9'! formed in said base plate 8|.

Rollers 84 and 85 are mounted, respectively, on shafts 98 and 99, which shafts are rotatably fixed in shaft holes I and IM in the right hand wall I02 of gear box 82 and shaft holes I03 and I04 in the left hand wall I08 of gear box 83. Shaft holes I00 and I 03, which hold shaft 98 are elongated in a vertical direction to permit of limited vertical movement of said shaft. Spur gear I08, afllxed, in gear box 82, to shaft 98, meshes with spur gear I01, ailixed, in the same gear box, to shaft 99. Spur gear I08 affixed, in gear box 88 to shaft 98, meshes with spur gear I09 affixed, in the same gear box, to shaft 99. Bevel gear IIO affixed to shaft 99 in gear box 83, meshes with beveled pinion III which is connected with spur gear 95.

A cap H2 is rotatably mounted on shaft 98 in gear box 82 and a collar I I3 is rotatably mounted on the same shaft in gear box 83. Cap H4 is rotatably mounted on shaft 99 in gear box 82 and a collar I I8 is rotatably mounted on the same shaft in gear box 83. Tension spring IIG afllxed b means of screws I I! to caps H2 and H4 and tension spring H8 affixed by means of screws II9 to collars H3 and H8 tend, yleldingly, to pull shaft 98 (and hence roller 84') toward shaft 99 (and hence roller 88).

A plate I20 carries gear boxes 82 and 83, said plate being fastened to base plate 8| by means of supports I2I. Gear box 88 is further fastened to base plate 8| by means of flange I22 and a screw or bolt I23 which engages base plate 8i through a hole I24 in flange I22.

In Figures and 6 the dishwashing attachment I80 is shown mounted on the washing machine first above described. Cover portion I8! which 4 serves substantially the same function as base plate 8| covers casing I8 and is fastened thereto by means of clamping screws I82 carried by cover ears I88. Cover portion I8l has an overhanging portion I84 to which is aflixed an elongated. downwardly projecting. ear housing I88. A shaft I88, in axial alignment with shaft 28 is rotatably fixed in bearing I81 which is set into a recessed thickened portion I88 of cover "I. Shaft I88 projects upwardly through cover I8I, its projecting portion carrying collar I89 which is fixed to it by means of set screw I48. Afiixed to the lower end of shaft I88 is a large spur gear I in which aperture I42 is formed, corresponding in all respects to aperture 88 in disk 82.

In mesh with large gear I is small gear I48 which is amxed to the upper end of vertical shaft I44, said shaft being rotatably mounted in gear housing I88. The lower end of vertical shaft I44 ls journaled into the lower portion I48 of gear housing I88. The upper end of vertical shaft I 44 is journaled into the upper portion I48 of gear housing I88 being held in place by means of collar I41 and bearing I48, Aiiixed to the lower portion of vertical shaft I44 immediately above lower portion I48 of gear housing I88 is a beveled gear I49 which is in mesh with beveled gear I88 mounted on horizontally disposed shaft I8I, said shaft being journaled into said lower gear housing portions I45. Said horizontal shaft projects, in part, outside of gear housing I35. Afilxed to the projecting portion are paddles or blades I82, said paddles being held in place on said shaft by means of collar I88. The tub I84 is shown in dotted lines in Figure 5 as is disk holder I88 hooked on said tub in such manner as to face paddles I82.

To operate the device herein disclosed, the casing I0 is placed into any household tublaundry tub, kitchen sink tub or bath tub. The oscillating agitator is fastened thereto in the manner previously described. Water is then let into the tub, soiled clothes or linens are then put into the water together with soap-all in the usual manner-and the device is then ready to function. When the clothes are ready for wringing, the oscillating agitator is removed and the clothes wringing attachment is fastened to the casing in the manner previously set forth. The wringing attachment is now ready for use in the conventional manner.

The device operates in much the same way when it is desired to wash dishes. The dish washing attachment is fastened to the casing as previously described, the device is then put into any tubpreferably the kitchen sink tub-and the dishes are placed in a conventional dish holder opposite said device. The water is now let into the tub, soap is introduced, and the machine is ready to operate.

It is clear from the nature of the invention herein disclosed that the machine herelnabove described is but a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The description is intended to illustrate and not to limit the invention, within the confines of the broad principles of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, a watertight casing of a size enabling it to be received into a household tub, means for detachably securing said casing to the bottom of said tub, a motor and a set of reduction gears carried in said casing, said reduction gears being operatively connected to said motor, and means operatively connected to said reduction gears to drive a household attachment of the character described, said means including at least one rotatable disc having an eccentrically disposed pin aflixed thereto.

2. A device of the character described comprising a watertight casing adapted to fit into a household tub, suction cups affixed to the bottom of the casing for detachably securing said casing to the tub, a driving mechanism in said casing, said driving mechanism. including an electric motor and a gear train connected thereto, a washing attachment mounted on the outside of the casing and disconnectable means connecting said washing attachment to the gear train of said driving mechanism whereby said motor is adapted to operate the washing attachment, inlet and outlet air ports at the top of said watertight casing, inlet and outlet ducts providing communication, respectively, between said inlet and outlet ports and said motor, and a fan connected to said motor positioned to draw air into the casing through the inlet port and duct into cooling contact with the motor, and to expel said air from said casing through the outlet port and duct.

3. A device of the character described comprising a watertight casing of a size and shape enabling it to be received into a household tub, means for detachably securing said casing to the bottom of the tub, an electric motor mounted in said casing at the bottom thereof, a train of speed reducing gears mounted in said casing above said motor, said gears being operatively connected to said motor, means converting the rotary movement of said gears to reciprocating movement, a frame pivotally mounted on top of said casing and operatively connected to said means for converting the rotary movement of the gears into reciprocating movement, whereby said frame is caused to engage in alternating clockwise and counter-clockwise movement relative to said casing, and a pair of paddles connected to said frame and extending downwardly adjacent the sides of said casing.

4. A device of the character described comprising a watertight casing of a size and shape enabling it to be received into a household tub, means for detachably securing said casing to said tub, an electric motor mounted in said'casing at the bottom thereof, a train of speed reducing gears supported in said casing above said motor, said gears being operatively connected to said motor, a washing attachment mounted on the outside of said casing adjacent to the side of said casing, and disconnectable means operatively interconmeeting said washing attachment with said gear train, whereby the motor is adapted to operate said washing attachment.

J OB HUTCHINSON.

REFERENCES CITED Thefollowing references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,321,210 Jackson June 8, 1943 2,282,332 Kuhn May 12, 1942 2,223,860 Schellenberg Dec. 3, 1940 2,284,026 Stockham May 26, 1942 1,532,366 Blum Apr. 7, 1925 2,266,757 Holland Dec. 23, 1941 2,143,854 Barker Jan. 17, 1939 2,263,807 Hanson Nov. 25, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 691,392 France 1930 

